devol



'Patgnted May 30,1871.

f/flWZiZ/f MM J L DEVOL Improvement in Locking-Latches for Gates; No.115,448,

T0 allwhomttmag/concern: I

rIoE.

I =qttmttavgt. nnyot, or PARKERSBURG, W ST VIRGINIA.

I rtese e m IN LOCKING-LATCHES FOR GATES.

I j specification forming part of Late, Patent No. 115,448, dated May30, 1871.

I e it known fthat I,;J NATH N norm,

.of Parkersburg in the county of Wood and 1 State of WestfVirginia,[haveinvented a cer-" tain new and useful{Improvement in Gate ,Fastenings;and Ido; hereby declare that the followin g isa full, clearyand exactdescription thereof, reference. being had to the annexed drawingmaking aart of this specification,

in whiche. II I Figure lisa .front elevation. Fig. 2 is a transversesection online am of Fig. 1.

The sameletters of reference are employed in bothfiguresin'thedesignation of I identical parts. 0

y Thisinvention relates to a gate latch or fast ening composed of twospring-jaws, which, in

shutting the gate, lock themselves automatically to thefkeeper on thepost; and my improvementconsists. in combining with such springjawsalock of simple construction, to'be employed for holding the-jaws closedwhen locked to the keeper, as will be'generally ex- 1 plainedhereinafter and specifically I pointed outin the claim. I The latchiscomposedof two jaws, A and B,

which are pivotedtogetherin a housing,U, on.

the gate, and project some distance; beyond" I j the outer stile.thereof. The housing 0 also contains a curved spring, 0, whichembracesthe jaws and acts to close them. "The keeper D onthe post isconstructed'with a pointed head upon each side, oneorthe other of whichI enters between the projecting ends of the jaws I and. forces themapartto fall into recesses in the keeper between these heads and holdthe gate shut. The latchis maintained in a nearly horizontal positionby' a spindle, E, which is provided with a cam, a, at the point wherethe jaws of the latch embrace it, and,extending beyond the gateat'either side, terminates at each end in a-suitable knob for operatingit to I open the jaws by the cam. The spindle turns in a semicircularrecess formed upon the outer plate of the lock-case F, which has avertical elongated slot where the jaws of the latch pass throughit, sothat the latter may be opened the proper distance. In the case F isarranged a "plate, G,'which corresponds in width with the height of thecase, but is shorter than the latter, sothat it may bemoved horizontallytherein. A T-shaped aperture, g g is formed through the plate, the part9 of which corresponds in size with the aperture through the case, and,in the position of the parts shown in Fig.2, is also in line therewith,sothat the jaws of the latch, passing through it, can be readily openedto slide over the pointed heads of the keeper in opening or closing thegate.

The width or the height of the part g of the aperture is such that itcan pass over the jaws when they are locked to the keeper and preventthem from being opened. Another opening, 1 is formed in the plate Gropposite to the key-hole f in the case, in which opening the key H playsto shift the plate to lock and "unlock the jaws. A spring, I, isintendedto hold the plate G in one position or the other by means of atapering projection, t, which enfg'ages with one of the correspondinglyformed notches g and g in the plate.

-What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

In a gate-latch substantially such as described, the combination of thejaws A B and sliding plate G, serving to lock them, and operatin g inthe manner set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two sub- Witnesses G. LOOMIS,

N. Looms.

